


Restless

by ViridianPanther



Series: Thirty Days [3]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Insomnia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-16
Updated: 2012-07-16
Packaged: 2017-11-10 02:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/461463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViridianPanther/pseuds/ViridianPanther
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shepard had decided that programming his assault simulator was better than watching the child burn again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Restless

Debugging helped take Shepard's mind off those dreams.

The pattern was predictable. Add enhancement to assault simulator script. Find it breaks the readiness index. Tinker until it un-breaks the readiness index. Add another enhancement, repeat. Programming (particularly military simulation programming) was possibly the dullest thing Shepard could conceive spending his sleepless nights doing.

It was a change of pace from spending the day shooting Cerberus operatives, at least. And it was better than trying to sleep again, and waking in a cold sweat after watching that boy get incinerated again.

He envied Kaidan, his ability to sleep like a log. Possibly a side effect of his biotics, and the resulting high metabolism.

"Hey."

Shepard peered up from the terminal, through the glass screen. Kaidan had been watching him.

"Hey," he whispered.

"You OK?"

"Yeah," Shepard said, hitting the _compile_ key and not paying a second of attention to the dozens of errors that it spat out: those could wait.

"Can't sleep?" Kaidan asked, sitting up straight, eyes twinkling and hair unkempt.

"You could say that."

"Come here," he whispered.

Shepard took a look down at the code, and a look back at Kaidan. No contest. He pulled himself out of the t-shirt he'd slipped on, and gently swung himself to Kaidan's side, feeling a little jump in his chest as he was engulfed in his arms.

It felt good to have Kaidan here, to hold him. The first person to make Shepard feel this good in ten years, at least.

"You should tell me if you're having trouble sleeping, y'know? I'm not going anywhere," Kaidan whispered.

"Thanks, Kaidan, but… I'm fine."

"I'm serious, I'm here for you." He planted a single kiss on Shepard's cheek. "It's important. Because…"

"Because?"

"Well, two reasons. I'm worried about your health. Everyone is." He pressed his cheek against Shepard's and clasped at his right hand. "We don't want you to over-exert yourself."

"And reason number two? You said two reasons, what's the other one?" Shepard grinned.

Kaidan let out one of his warm, throaty sighs, and tightened his hold. "I like watching you sleep."


End file.
